About National Back To Church Sunday

Back to Church Sunday is a campaign strategically designed to help churches reach out and invite everyone to try church again. This powerful movement encourages church attendance by inspiring and empowering church members to invite their neighbors, friends and loved ones to a special Sunday service designed just for them.

In 2014, over 26,400 churches participated in this growing national movement! In 2015, we are praying for over 30,000 churches to come together and bring spiritual renewal to their communities through Back to Church Sunday!

Why Should Your Church Participate?

National Back to Church Sunday is:

Proven to Be Successful

Practical For Your Ministry

Free — You can sign up your church for free on the roster. The roster is a one-stop map where visitors can a find church to attend on September 20.

Easy — A church of any size can participate; it's a one-Sunday event and can be combined with any other sermon or event you are doing.

Right Time — September is when school starts and when most people think about going back to church or trying a church.

Simple — All churches, one date, one clear message: come back to church!

Collaborative — Denominations and groups of churches within a city are joining together to make a bigger impact. Imagine if all of the churches in your city invited everyone to National Back to Church Sunday!

Powered by Personal Invitations – The Back to Church plan focuses on empowering your members to invite their friends and family to come to church. It’s an easy, first-step way to encourage evangelism in your church body!

How To Get Started

Step 1 — Put Your Church on the Roster- FREEClick here to add your church to the roster. As the media buzz begins for Back to Church Sunday people will begin visiting this website to find participating churches, make sure your church is on the list!

Step 2 — Start Planning - Get the Church Kit
We can't stress enough that being prepared for Back to Church Sunday is just as important as hosting it. Start by purchasing the Church Kit. It includes an updted campaign planning guide, a sermon, new videos, digital banners for your website and social media, loads of ideas and tips to help you prepare and promotional tools such as posters, media communication templates and other samples.

Step 3 — Get Your Church Ready
Studies show that visitors make a decision about returning to church within the first 5 minutes. Is your church ready to receive visitors? Use the resources in your kit to prepare your greeters, children’s ministry and other key areas.

Step 4 — Build Excitement in Your Church and Empower Members
Your members are your most effective outreach tools, so make sure they know that your church is participating in National Back to Church Sunday and equip them to become inviters. Using the Back to Church Sunday kit helps you empower your members and engage your community. For additional church resources visit our store.

Step 5 — Invite Your Community to Attend
While your members invite their friends and family to attend, cast a broader net by inviting everyone around your church to your big event! Send a direct mail postcard invitation, post a banner outside your building and then let your local media channels know that you have joined the movement. The Back to Church Sunday kit includes a press release template for getting free press in your local media and graphics you can upload onto your church website.

Step 6 — Plan a Follow-up Series and Small Groups to Connect Visitors
Keep visitors coming back by launching a new series the week after your event. Promote this new series on Back to Church Sunday and motivate people to check it out. There is a large selection of church campaigns to choose from, click here to learn more.